Better...or Worse?
by Flutterby1
Summary: Valentine’s Day is coming up, and Ron has a plan up his sleeve to get Harry and Herm together. Will his scheming turn out for the better...or the worse? R/R!


**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Harry Potter characters, or places. All the good stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling, and all the shitty stuff belongs to me. I am not making any money off of this fic whatsoever. Please do not sue me for the use of JKR's characters. If you sued me, the only thing you'd get in some pocket lint and maybe a penny, if you're lucky.

**Author's Note:** If this is a bit sucky, please excuse that! I've had a bit of a writer's block the past couple of days, which caused me to delete my other fic, _The Truth_. It may return at a later date, who knows?

**Author:** Flutterby

**Summary:** Valentine's Day is coming up, and Ron has a plan up his sleeve to get Harry and Herm together. Will his scheming turn out for the better...or the worse?

**Title:** Better...or Worse?

* * *

_Chapter One: Fraternizing with the Enemy_

"Oh, yuck! Since when do the house elves give us spinach?" Hermione Granger complained at dinner on Wednesday evening. With a disgusted look, she pushed away a few scalloped potatoes.

"What's wrong with the scalloped potatoes?" Harry Potter asked, watching Hermione amusedly.

Hermione made a face. "They were fraternizing with the enemy." And they had been; the potatoes had touched the spinach!

Harry laughed. "Much like you were when you went out with Malfoy," he commented, taking a gulp of his pumpkin juice.

"Yes, and much like Ron is doing right now," Hermione added, waving a hand toward the Slytherin table. Ron Weasley, the third person of the trio, had just started going out with Pansy Parkinson, a pug-faced seventh year Slytherin. "And, do _not_ mention my one-month relationship with Draco Malfoy ever again." Hermione pretended to gag as she remembered. At the beginning of the year she had dated Draco out of complete stupidity. Until Hermione realised that there was no way they could stay together, Hermione and Draco had a good relationship. It was a mutual agreement to break up, and to Hermione's relief she was a free woman again.

"Oh, I'm very sorry," Harry apologised, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Then, under his breath, he muttered, "Mrs. Malfoy."

"Hey, you!" Hermione playfully punched Harry, who pretended that her light punch hurt him. "Aw, did I hurt the poor baby?" Hermione punched Harry again, a bit harder this time.

"Hey! I can take a couple light punches, but you're gonna leave a bruise!" Harry pouted, and as he expected, Hermione instantly began apologising. Harry took advantage of the moment and launched into a tickle fight, which was soon interrupted by a voice.

"Ugh, you two at it again?" Ginny Weasley asked, plopping down on the other side of Hermione. She had grown out of her childhood crush on Harry Potter long ago, and she enjoyed seeing Hermione and Harry together, flirting. No matter how much her friends protested that they didn't like one another, Ginny knew they did. She could see past their 'we're just friends' act, and see that they really had a thing for each other. Ginny just wished she could convince Hermione and Harry to give a relationship a chance. _ "I probably could get them together, too, if only Ron was here to help me,"_ Ginny thought bitterly, not even giving the table where her brother sat with his girlfriend a glance.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry and Hermione demanded in unison.

"Nothing!" Ginny giggled quietly. _ "If only they could see what I see,"_ she thought, brushing back strands of her fiery red hair.

Hermione eyed Ginny suspiciously. _ "Ack, she knows!"_ she wailed mentally, giving herself a mental kick for making it so obvious. With a sigh, she attempted to change the subject. "So, Harry, did we have any Potions homework?" _ "That's it, Herm. Talk about your least favorite class. Way to get the guy,"_ she scolded herself.

"No."

"Oh, all right." Hermione looked over at Ginny, who seemed to be trying to fight a fit of giggles. "What's so funny?"

"N-nothing," Ginny said through silent giggles that were trying to escape. "I-it's j-just that you and Harry are so funny to listen to!"

Hermione shot Ginny a death glare. "Don't you need to go talk to Colin?" Hermione asked, referring to Ginny's boyfriend, Colin Creevey.

"Ah, yeah...I remember now," Ginny said finally, after her shins recieved a swift kick from Hermione under the table. "See you two later. Bye, Herm. Bye, Harry." The younger girl stood up and walked out of the Great Hall, limping slightly.

"What was that all about?" Harry questioned, a smile playing on his lips.

"Nothing," Hermione said. She flashed Harry a bright smile. "I think I'm going to go on back to the common room. I'll see you there later." Hermione stood up and waved at Harry, then walked out the door of the Great Hall.

* * *

At the Slytherin table, Draco Malfoy was disgusted. As if watching Weasley and Parkinson flirt like crazy wasn't enough, they'd decided on torturing Draco even more by feeding each other food. Why Parkinson had given up on Draco and gone out with trash like Ron Weasley was beyond him. _ "Oh, yes, that's right. You went out with Hermione."_ Thinking of Hermione Granger, Draco looked up and saw Hermione sitting at the Gryffindor table, chatting with Harry Potter. A pain flooded his heart. _ "So she broke up with you for Potter,"_ Draco thought miserably. He watched as Hermione stood up and walked out of the Great Hall.

"Hey, Goyle, Crabbe, I'm leaving," Draco said, giving his two 'friends' a look that plainly stated "follow me and die." As if they would leave their beloved food anyway.

Draco walked across the Great Hall and out the door, catching a glimpse of Hermione's chocolate brown hair as she rounded a corner. Draco quickened his pace, and soon was right behind Hermione. "Fancy meeting you like this," Draco said, grabbing Hermione's elbow and spinning her around to face him. Whether he wanted to admit it to himself, he missed having Hermione as his girlfriend. He missed the taste of her lips; they tasted just like vanilla, he reminisced.

"Oh, hullo, Draco," Hermione said cheerfully.

Draco was shocked by her happiness. Then he remembered: they had promised to stay friends after they broke up, and occasionally they even worked together in Potions, despite Professor Snape's protests and new 'rules' stating that you could not work with students from a different House, unless he assigned partners.

"Hi, Hermione." Draco shifted from one foot to the other, suddenly uncomfortable. _ "Oh, come on. It was a mutual break up. You don't still have feelings for Hermione!"_ Draco thought, suddenly angry at himself for even leaving the Great Hall. _ "Or do I?"_

Hermione stood there, waiting for Draco to say something. He looked uncomfortable. "Well, I better be going," she said finally. "I need to get back so I can do some homework."

"Oh, all right." Draco tried not to look hurt. Malfoys never showed their true feelings to anyone. But Hermione had somehow damaged that, and Draco often conveyed his feelings for everyone to see. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow—"

"In Potions," Hermione finished with a smile. She had become an expert at finishing Draco's sentences, and she could always tell what he was feeling. His eyes showed it all, Hermione had concluded while they were dating. And right now, his eyes were showing extreme loneliness, hurt, anger, and love all at once. "Hey, how about we work together tomorrow?"

Draco scrunched his face up, as if he was considering her offer. "All right. Sounds good," he finally said. _ "If that's as close as I'm gonna get to dating her again, so be it! I'll take it!"_ "Oh, but what about Potter?" Even dating Hermione had not changed his feelings toward her two best friends; Weasley would always be the trashy Weasel, and Potter would always be Potty or Golden Boy, to him anyway.

"He can work with Ron and Pansy," she said, still smiling. "Well, now I really should be going. Harry and Ron are probably already back in the common room, wondering where I am. Oh, scratch that: Ron's probably having a snogging session with Pansy."

Even Draco had to laugh at that. "That God she's finally off my ass." Draco had almost felt overjoyed when Weasley asked Parkinson out. For six years, Parkinson had been all over Draco, convinced that he was "the one" for her, despite all his protests.

"Yeah. Well, bye, Draco."

"Bye, Hermione." Draco watched the retreating form of Hermione. When he was sure she was out of earshot, he whispered, "Oh, I want her bad." And then he left for his common room.

* * *

"Where have you been?" Harry inquired once Hermione had settled down beside of him on a fluffly red couch in the Gryffindor common room.

Hermione opened her thick hardback Arithmancy textbook. "Draco stopped me out in the hallway, on my way up here. He was acting really weird," she said. "Sometimes I have to wonder if our break up really was mutual, or if he just said he felt the same way because he didn't want to let down his bad boy Malfoy image."

"It's hard telling," Harry answered. "I think he still has a thing for you, Herm. I see how he acts around you. Like some sort of lovesick puppy, not Malfoy at all. He hasn't even been spouting insults at me, or Ron."

Hermione grinned. "Oh, I don't think he'll be insulting Ron for a while," she mused. "He's really glad that 'Parkinson is finally off his ass'. And that's a quote."

Harry chuckled, and Hermione focused her attention on her text. _ "She's so beautiful. Ah, why do I have to like a girl that half of Hogwarts is after, including Draco Malfoy?"_ He continued staring at her. _ "She's beautiful when she studies, when she sleeps, when—"_

"What?" Hermione asked, interrupting Harry's train of thought. "Do I have something on my face?"

"Huh?"

"You were staring," Hermione informed him, an amused expression growing on her face. "So I asked if I had something on my face? Do I?"

"N-no," Harry stammered, turning red. "Your face is perfe—" He stopped, and blushed some more.

Hermione felt her face growing warm. Although Harry had stopped himself, Hermione knew that he had almost said, "Your face is perfect," which obviously meant he thought she was pretty. "Oh, all right." Hermione went back to her Arithmancy, a huge grin plastered on her face.

* * *

"Wake up guys!"

Hermione yawned and opened one eye. She saw a flash. A camera flash. Hermione jumped up and glared evilly at Ron Weasley, who was grinning broadly at what he had just caught on film: Hermione lying on top of Harry, using his chest for a pillow, with Harry's arm around Hermione, his hand resting on her butt. "Ronald Weasley, you give me that picture right this second!" she screeched, causing Harry to stir. "Ron, I swear on Merlin's beard that if you show anyone that picture, I will kill you!" Hermione lunged at Ron, and narrowly missed him.

"What's going on?" Harry asked groggily, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"I guess you and I fell asleep on the couch, when I was studying Arithmancy and you were doing whatever the hell you were doing, and Ron took a picture of us!"

"Yeah, and a good one at that!" Ron said, laughing. He held up the picture that he had taken with his Muggle Polaroid camera, and Harry gasped.

"RON!"

"Don't worry, Harry," Ron said, still laughing. "I won't show anyone the proof that you were taking advantage of poor Hermione."

Hermione's eyes grew wide, and she caught a glimpse of the picture. Her cheeks burned bright red, and she buried her face in her hands embarrassedly. "At least I wasn't fraternizing with the enemy," she mumbled through her fingers.

That statement caused Harry to burst out laughing. Ron stared at them in bewilderment. "I was fraternizing with the enemy?"

Hermione giggled. "Nothing, Ron. You wouldn't understand. You missed the joke, because you were out on a snogging session with Pansy."

Ron stared at his two friends, and then walked up the stairs to the boys' dorms.

Hermione stopped giggling and turned to face Harry. "You don't think he'll show that picture to anyone, do you? We could get into an awful lot of trouble if he did," Hermione worried.

"Nah, I don't think he will. At least, I hope not."

* * *

"Hey, Hermione!" Lavender Brown said, bouncing into the seventh year girls' dorm. "Can I ask you a question?"

Hermione smiled at one of her best girl friends. "Sure, Lav. Shoot." Hermione set the paperback novel she was reading on her bedside table.

"Was that picture Ron showed me, of you and Harry, real or did he fabricate it?"

Hermione groaned. "Oh no. Oh no. Oh no," she murmured. "Did he show anyone else?"

Lavender just stared. "So it's a real picture?"

"Yes, but did Ron show anybody else?"

Lavender shook her head. "Nope, just me, and that's because I wrestled it from him." She grinned proudly. "It was a really sweet picture, and you both looked really comfortable. Especially Harry." Lavender winked, and Hermione groaned.

"I'm going to kill Ron!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** All right. I'm having a miniature writer's block, and this chapter sort of isn't how I wanted it to be. Anywhoo, I hope you guys liked it, and I'm off to write a second chapter!


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